Thunderbolt and lightning!

[ozchick]

Seriously sometimes this stuff has me saying my prayers!
Saturday afternoon I could have sworn I was in a war-zone....ooh and then this afternoon again. Each wet season I start to get used to it all again...but when the storm is on there can be that sudden quiet....followed by a sharp "ts ts" ! OMG I've seen that- those lightning strikes mid air like sparks....ooh I swear it's sending a bolt right through the apartment...ooh.....scary place this time of year....

[durain]

hello??! 3 years in singapore and you still not used to it?

[gravida]

I am here for seven years and am NOT used to it. I am afraid, I will never be. It is never that bad in my country of origin.

By the way, shouldn't the wet season be Nov-Dec, not April?

[eechim]

I remember sitting at the bus stop when a huge thunderbolt scared the bejeezus out of me! I let out a yelp & there were a few sniggers fm the other passengers but to be fair I've only been here less than 2 months...

[ttujess]

My hubby and I just got here in January and were sad that there weren't any thunderstorms during "monsoon" season. So we are loving the thunder and lightning that has come the past few weeks - makes us feel like we're home (West Texas).

[x9200]

I like it too. There was only one period during my stay in SG I was feeling not that comfortable with the thunderstorms. It was after I walked outside between two buildings and within 2 min 3 time it hit the ground less than 100m far from me.

[februus]

I remember sitting at the bus stop when a huge thunderbolt scared the bejeezus out of me! I let out a yelp & there were a few sniggers fm the other passengers but to be fair I've only been here less than 2 months...

Don't worry, I got caught in it at a bus stop on Saturday and couldn't help laughing at the local bloke that had managed to squeeze UNDER the seat there with his fingers in his ears and his eyes tightly shut. Only problem was he opened them and caught me!

[vidya463]

I used to like lightning and thunder and often used to go for a walk during those times. Stopped after reading about the death of a footballer.

[x9200]

The chance of being hit (hurt somehow, not necessarily killed) in the US over life time is like 1/3000. And this counts in all the people who stay inside during the thunderstorms so the odds may not be that low if you happen to be outside.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Seletar Camp. Lightening central for Singapore. ~1997 sitting at my PC, lightening strikes the rod at the top of my bungalow. Grounding Strap comes down the wall around 2 metres from my chair with only a plywood partition separating us. Family in other house behind ours saw the lightening strike and see the big ball of fire (is this what they call St. Elmo's fire?) descend the grounding strap and into the earth. What they didn't see is me having a huge static discharge come through my computer motherboard and through the mouse and knock me completely out of the chair! I was actually at the other unit with the family as well, and when the storm started I ran back to the house to shut down the PC, so my feet were wet (barefooted), and standing on the same concrete that the grounding strap went through, guess I made a pretty good ground as well! No worse for wear, but fried the mouse port on the motherboard. Fried my 29" CTV as well (static discharge from the grounding straps on the roof went underneath the aerial supports (not touching) and because the TV is on standby (remote controls) that mean open circuits!

Have seen a number of VERY close strikes (less than 100 metres away) out there in the 15 years I lived there.

[x9200]

This is a piece of experience... Not that I would like to have it by myslef. Any side effects of it later? By the way, this is not the discharge that throw ppl away when the lightening strikes but their own muscles. And actually you may be lucky to come wet (not only the feet though) because the current then tends to go over your body not through it.... If you dry and get struck you are typically toasted. 50 mA (IIRC) through the body it's all is needed to kiss goodby.

[februus]

The chance of being hit (hurt somehow, not necessarily killed) in the US over life time is like 1/3000. And this counts in all the people who stay inside during the thunderstorms so the odds may not be that low if you happen to be outside.

It also counts people that play golf, so if you don't happen to be on the fairway the odds might not be that high!

If you move to the UK the chances of being hit are 1 in 3 million. Is 1 in 3000 right? it seems very high

[x9200]

The chance of being hit (hurt somehow, not necessarily killed) in the US over life time is like 1/3000. And this counts in all the people who stay inside during the thunderstorms so the odds may not be that low if you happen to be outside.

It also counts people that play golf, so if you don't happen to be on the fairway the odds might not be that high!

If you move to the UK the chances of being hit are 1 in 3 million. Is 1 in 3000 right? it seems very high

I've heard this on Discovery C. and they said 1:2000 but also found it here:
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/faq/faq_ltg.php

I expect in Singapore chances could be lower (even with more frequent thunders) as lots of the area is with high rise buildings.

[sundaymorningstaple]

We've had a number of golfers here over the years that I've been here that have be either struck or been UNDER trees that were struck while being out on the course. And for those idiots who insist on golfing in a thunderstorm, remember the metal tips on the end of your umbrella and the metal heads of your club as you raise it well over your head. Gaia says that looks just like a lightening rod so let smite it!

And yeah, I was damned lucky and I knows it!

[missis]

We used to get told when we were kids never to shelter under a tree in a thunderstorm.
At Sentosa last Saturday afternoon, the lifeguard was out with a loudhailer telling everyone to clear the water at there was a lightening alert, long before any rain fell. It rained briefly and there were a few rumbles - apparently we missed one heck of a storm!
There was an amazing story a few months back about a girl who got struck while windsurfing off the East Coast. She was paralysed but somehow has written a book!